Article Navigation
- < Previous
- Next >
Journal Article
Get access
, Alicia Chatterjee School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, PA, USA Correspondence to Alicia Chatterjee, School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. E-mail: aliciach@upenn.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Yoosun Park School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, PA, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic
The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 54, Issue 5, July 2024, Pages 1988–2005, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae016
Published:
13 February 2024
Article history
Accepted:
16 January 2024
- Views
- Article contents
- Figures & tables
- Video
- Audio
- Supplementary Data
-
Cite
Cite
Alicia Chatterjee, Yoosun Park, Trauma as the ‘Belief That the World is a Dangerous Place’: The Obfuscation of Systemic Violence in Social Work’s Discourses of Trauma, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 54, Issue 5, July 2024, Pages 1988–2005, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae016
Close
Search
Close
Search
Advanced Search
Search Menu
Abstract
The concept of psychological trauma has been taken up widely in popular culture and in diverse academic fields including social work. In this work of poststructuralist discourse analysis, we used methods of close reading to examine a random sample of thirty social work articles on trauma (published 2010–2020). Our aim was not to refute the salience of the concept nor to establish its true meaning and correct usage, but to critically examine its discursive functions; what does ‘trauma’ do in social work? In our analysis, the progressive aims of the discourses of trauma—to counter pathologisation and confer legitimacy to harms that have been marginalised—are unrealised. ‘Trauma’ is deployed in multiple, often contradictory ways and the slippages between intent and function work to construct the trauma-laden as non-normative, damaged subjects, and legitimate objects, thus, of social work scrutiny and intervention. Social work’s discourses of trauma undermine their own efforts to centre a structural analysis. If ‘to perceive the world as a safe place’ is a signifier of normative, non-traumatised functioning, then what does ‘trauma’ do when applied to the racialised, gendered, colonised and marginalised, for whom the world is not a place of safety but of material and psychical violence?
discourse analysis, poststructural theories, race, social work, trauma
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved.
This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
Issue Section:
Original Article
You do not currently have access to this article.
Download all slides
Sign in
Get help with access
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Sign in Register
Institutional access
- Sign in with a library card
- Sign in with username/password
- Recommend to your librarian
Sign in through your institution
Sign in through your institution
Institutional account management
Sign in as administrator
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
- Click Sign in through your institution.
- Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
- When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
- Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
- Click Sign in through society site.
- When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
- Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
- View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
- View the institutional accounts that are providing access.
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.
Purchase
Subscription prices and ordering for this journal
Purchasing options for books and journals across Oxford Academic
Short-term Access
To purchase short-term access, please sign in to your personal account above.
Don't already have a personal account? Register
Trauma as the ‘Belief That the World is a Dangerous Place’: The Obfuscation of Systemic Violence in Social Work’s Discourses of Trauma - 24 Hours access
EUR €51.00
GBP £44.00
USD $55.00
Rental
This article is also available for rental through DeepDyve.
Advertisem*nt
Citations
Views
658
Altmetric
More metrics information
Metrics
Total Views 658
506 Pageviews
152 PDF Downloads
Since 2/1/2024
| Month: | Total Views: |
|---|---|
| February 2024 | 400 |
| March 2024 | 83 |
| April 2024 | 28 |
| May 2024 | 21 |
| June 2024 | 14 |
| July 2024 | 35 |
| August 2024 | 77 |
Citations
Powered by Dimensions
Altmetrics
Email alerts
Article activity alert
Advance article alerts
New issue alert
Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic
Citing articles via
Google Scholar
-
Latest
-
Most Read
-
Most Cited
More from Oxford Academic
Social Sciences
Social Work
Books
Journals
Advertisem*nt
